The invention relates to a turning indicator for indicating the turning direction and the turning speed of course changes of a ship or an aircraft.
Such turning indicators have as the basic element the gyroscope of a gyrocompass, which has associated with it an operating device with an indicating unit. Such gyrosystems have, however, the following substantial disadvantages:
A. Because of the high rotary speed of the gyroscope, the lifetime is relatively short.
B. Because of the necessary friction-reconstruction of the gyroscope the same is exceedingly susceptible to impact damage.
C. Because of the high frequency the control of the gyroscope requires very elaborate circuitry.
D. The utilization of the starting signal of the gyroscope requires relatively many circuit components.
E. The damping of the gyroscope is very susceptible to repairs, because only small deflection forces are available. The same is true for the journalling of the gyroscope.
F. Because of the high frequency of the gyroscope system the necessary magnetic protective distance is very large.
G. Because of the low starting signal of the gyroscope the same must be amplified electrically to a great extent, resulting in a very high frequency susceptibility, i.e. in the case of strong high frequency fields, for example radio telephone, the indicator unit will react.
The invention has the task of producing a turning indicator of the type mentioned in the introduction in which the aforementioned disadvantages do not occur and which is of comparatively simple circuitry.